Manchester United concede two goals in three straight matches, Carrick admits corrections are needed quickly

Manchester United's defensive problems at the start of the new season have become Carrick's biggest concern. After a 2-2 away draw against Everton on Sunday, the team extended an unwanted record of conceding two goals in every match this season. The opponents were last season's Championship sides Hull City and Ipswich Town, as well as Everton, who ranked sixth from bottom in Premier League goals scored.

Three opponents, six goals conceded

Compared with the same stage of last season, Manchester United had conceded only two goals in the corresponding matches. After three games this season, they have already conceded six, and the gap is clear. Carrick has tried to reduce pressure on the team, believing Everton's two goals were long-range world-class strikes and could not be completely blamed on the defensive system.

"Both goals came from long shots. From their perspective, they were two very good finishes. Sometimes those shots fly into the top corner, but more often they do not," Carrick explained in the post-match interview. Two weeks earlier against Hull City, the opponent scored twice from set pieces, while set-piece defending had not been a problem after Carrick returned to Old Trafford in January. Ipswich's first goal came after Luke Shaw was nutmegged by Fatawu and then beaten for pace, while the second goal resulted from an individual error by Lisandro Martinez.

The overall trend behind the goals conceded is worrying

What concerns Carrick even more is the overall trend. Everton recorded 18 shots in the match, with six on target. Across the Premier League, only four teams have allowed more shots on target than Manchester United. Without goalkeeper Senne Lammens' strong early performance, the defensive statistics could have looked worse.

"The mentality is there, but clearly there are things we need to improve as a team," Carrick said. "We cannot ignore this issue. We must reduce goals conceded to give ourselves a better chance of winning."

Defensive problems rooted in recruitment choices

Manchester United's defensive weaknesses were not without warning. The back line was also loose at the start of last season, when many people blamed goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. The goalkeeper position issue has now been resolved, but the back four has become a new weakness. The club originally hoped to address the defensive problems at least by next summer, but reality clearly does not allow that.

The choices made in the transfer market also reflect this situation. Last year the club focused recruitment on the attack, signing three forwards at once; this year it spent money on midfield, bringing in three midfielders. The defense was overlooked in two consecutive transfer windows, and the problems have now surfaced, leaving Carrick to rely on the current squad.